Pithos is the Greek name for the large jar in Hesiod’s original Pandora story.
A pithos was a substantial storage container used in the ancient Greek world, often for agricultural products such as grain, wine, or olive oil. Hesiod’s choice of this word makes the object much larger and more practical than the small gift box shown in many modern illustrations.
The English title “Pandora’s Box” developed through a later translation tradition. The Latin writer Erasmus helped popularize the box formulation in the sixteenth century, and it became fixed in European languages. Remembering the word pithos helps distinguish the ancient text from the modern expression while preserving the same central myth.